City Commissions Weigh Idea Of Showing Meetings On Cable Tv

Tamarac Mayor Joseph Schreiber wants residents to be able watch city commissioners on television, but Commissioner Larry Mishkin never wants to hear "lights, camera, action."

"I see the same people, meeting after meeting, coming to have what is their five minutes of glory," said a disgusted Mishkin, who regularly watches other cities' televised meetings on Continental Cablevision.

"They generally have very little, if anything, to contribute to the operation of the council or commission," he said.

Yet cable companies throughout Broward County routinely tape commission meetings or broadcast them live in two-thirds of the county's 29 cities.

But not in Tamarac, nor eight other cities throughout north Broward.

"It would be good public relations," said Schreiber, who broached the subject at a commission meeting last week. "How do you know if something works if you don't try it? These guys [commissioners) are great actors without being trained."

"Once you put yourself on TV, everybody and anybody wants to see the sideshow," said Tamarac Commissioner Marc Sultanof, who is undecided on the issue. "And who's going to pay for it? Channel 19 is not going to come here by the grace of God."

Supporters say the broadcasts allow residents to see city officials in action when they are unable to go to City Hall. Critics say the medium provides an overly bright spotlight for political posturing and makes meetings too long.

"It's show business," said Joe Rosen, a 23-year Sunrise activist who regularly attends his city's commission meetings. "Let's just say that on television night, commissioners are on their best behavior. They want to put their best foot foward. When TV is not there, it is slightly different."

Sunrise Assistant Deputy Mayor Irwin Harlem said he doesn't feel like a star.

"To me it gives people who are home an opportunity to see it," Harlem said. "I can't see anything wrong with it. I get comments from people I meet in shopping centers and grocery stores. And they don't ask for an autograph."

In Margate, TCI Inc. airs audio of the city's commission meetings, but there are no video cameras. And for a reason, Margate Mayor Mitch Anton said.

"I am not going to be here until [midnight) ... for people who want to make it a platform to be on stage," Anton said.

Weston Commissioner Eric Hersh agreed that taping makes meetings longer, but he said it's worth it. Meetings in the Weston area have been aired the past 3 1/2 years, long before the area was incorporated.

"People call up and say, `I feel like I know you.' They are not calling a stranger because they have seen you on TV," Hersh said. "Some governments don't want it because they frankly don't behave in a manner that they want their residents to know about. And that is just the reason the meetings should be broadcast."

Gary Resnick, director of government and community relations for Continental Cablevision, confirmed that broadcast meetings tend to run longer.

"More people want to speak," Resnick said.

Tamarac commission meetings could be added to the cable line-up only through negotiations with Continental, Resnick said.